Vertically adjustable shelf



June 8, 1965 P. F. POWDER 3,188,161

VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE SHELF Filed Dec. 28, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 PA UL F POWDER a, g

" Ai'To /VEK' June 8, 1965 P. F. POWDER 3,188,161

VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE SHELF Filed Dec. 28, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A BY W I l I I ,1 Q

L I I a W4 MQZZV ATTORNEY June 8, 1965 P. F. POWDER VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE SHELF 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 28. 1962 INVENTOR.

PAUL 1-. POWDER BY Z Z g ATTORNEY URES 2 and 3).

United States Patent 3,188,161 VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE SHELF Paul F. Powder, Southfield, Mieh., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of to the fullest advantage depending upon the preference of an individual refrigerator user. Such adjusting means preferably should take up little of the food storage compartmentspace and also should be readily accessible so thatthe shelf positions can be quickly varied and so that minor repairs of the adjusting means can be made without dismantlingthe refrigerator cabinet or the operative parts thereof.

Accordingly, objects of the invention are to provide means for quickly and easily adjusting a horizontally slidable or rollable shelf in a compartment such as a food storage space of a refrigerator cabinet or the like into one of a plurality of vertical'positions without removing the shelf from or extending the same outwardly of the compartment with such means being extremely compact and readily accessible for repairs.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

, In the drawings:

' FIGURE 1 is a front view of a household refrigerator having the invention supported therein. 7

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in topelevation showing an extendible shelf supported in the food compartment of the refrigerator with portions of the shelf broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary View in vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 showing the shelf lowered into a retracted position; 4

FIGURE 5 is a view in vertical section the line 15 -5 Of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE6. is a view in vertical section takenalong the line 6+6 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view looking in the direction ofv the arrows on line 7-7 of FIGURE]; and

FIGURE 8 is a view in vertical section taken along the line 88 of FIGURE 7. Referring now to the drawings, for the purposes of illustrating'the invention, a household type refrigerator cabinet 10 is shown in, FIGURE 1 comprising an outer shell or panel 12 and an inner liner 14 having suitable insulating material 16 supported therebetween (see FIG- The liner 14 forms the top, bottom, back and upright side walls of a food storage compart- 'ment 18 within the refrigerator cabinet 10 cooled by an evaporator 20 of a closed refrigerating system (not shown) representatively shown as being'mounted in the upper portion of the compartment 18. A door 22 normally closes an opening in the front of the refrigerator cabinet taken along bellcranks 42, 44 are quickly actuated by improved actu- In the illustrated arrangement, the shelf 24 to be ver- 1 tically adjusted by the invention is supported on a pair of friction reducing means 26 located on the upright side 3 and 6, each of the friction reducing means 26 comprises a pairof spaced rollers 28 and an elongated track 30-slidably supported thereon located in substantially horizontal alignment adjacent each opposed upright side wall of the compartment 18 with each of the rollers 28 being rotatably mounted upon a stud 32 riveted or secured by other suitable fastening means to a flat supporting plate 34 stationarily secured to the inside surface of the upright side walls.

' In accordance with certain of the principles of the invention, an upwardly extending, elongated-strap 36 on each track 30 is pivotally connected at either end thereof to actuatable linkage mechanisms 38 and 40 on each side of the shelf 24 for providing vertical adjustment thereof with respect to both the friction reducing means 26 and the'interior of the food storage compartment 18. The vertically fixed rollers28 and tracks 30 obviate the need for guideways therefor as previously found in many adjustable shelf arrangements and it will be appreciated that the absence of such guideways "eliminates the attendant problems of binding and hanging up of the friction reduc ing means'during verticaladjustinent of the shelf arrange ment. 1

Inthe illustrated embodiment of my invention each of the linkage mechanisms 38, 40 includes a pair of spaced apart bellcranks 42, 44 of like characteristics as best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4,-each of which has a center pivot portion 46 and pivot portions 48, 50 on the upper and lower ends thereof, respectively. The center pivot portions 46 are pivotally connected to depending portions 52, 54, respectively, on either side of the shelf 24 and the lower end pivot portions 50 are pivotally secured to the ends of each of the upwardly. extending straps 36 on the tracks 30 so that the shelf 24 is supported thereon and forces acting on .the upper end pivot portions 48 of the bellcranks 42, 44 will cause them to rotate about the lower end pivot portions 50 thereof and thereby cause the center pivot portions 46 thereof to move the shelf 24 into one of 'a pluralityof vertically adjusted positions in the compartment 18 depending uponthe desires of a particular user. The provision of like bellcranks on both sides of the shelf 24 prevents tiltingthereof during such adjustment. I

In the illustrated embodiment, the pivoted connections between the various parts are representatively shown as including a flat headed pin 56 directed through the pivoted partshaving one end thereof secured by riveting or the like to one part: and the opposite endthereof held against the other part, by means of a snap ring 58 as best shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. For ease of description such a detail will henceforth merely be referred to as a pivoted connection, it beingunderstood that any other suitable fastenin'g means might be used to provide the desired pivotal movement.

In the illustrated arrangement and in accordance With certain other of the principles of the present invention, the

ator means 60 that is readily accessible for minor repairs without significantly reducing the storage capacity of the compartment 18 or detracting from the appearance thereof.

The improved actuator means 60 is more particularly characterized as being closely associated with the bottom of the shelf 24 well out of the way of food or the like stored in the compartment 18 therebelow and comprises a an elongated actuator arm 62 having one end thereof pivotally connected to the underside of theshelf 24 on the transverse centerline thereof at 64 and having the opposite end thereof formed as a flattened handle 65 adjacent the forward edge of the surface 24 at a readily accessible point that-enables quick adjustment of the actuator means 60 (see FIGURE 2).

A pair of transfer links 66, 68 are pivotally connected at one end thereof to the arm 62 at points on either side of the pivoted point 64 thereof and have the opposite ends thereof connected to offset ends 70, 72, respectively, on a pair of like crank arms 74, 76 located on either side of the actuator arm 62. i The center pivot of'each of the crank arms 74, 76 are pivotally secured to the underside of the shelf 24 by suitable fastening means and the opposite ends thereof are pivotally connected to inwardly directed ear portions 78,80, respectively, on elongated side links 82, 84- extending substantially transversely of the shelf 24 on either side thereof with each of said links 82, 84 being pivotally connected at either end thereof to the upper end pivots 4am bellcranks142, 44 for moving the adjustable linkage mechanisms 38, 40 to cause the shelf 24 to be vertically adjusted within the compartment 18. In FIGURE is can be seen that each of the ear portions 78, 80 has an elongated slot 85 therein to provide for sideways movements of the cranks 74, 76. More parularly, by rotating the actuator arm 62 about the pivot point 64 thereon, the transfer links 66, 68, crank arms 74, 76 and side links 82, 84 are moved in a direction to transfer such rotary movement to a fore and aft movement of the side links 82, 84 to thereby cause the bellcranks 42, 44 to pivot about the lower end pivot points 50 thereof and thereby cause center pivots to move the shelf 24 into one of a plurality, of vertical positions as discussed above;

It should be noted that all operative parts of my improved actuator means 60 lie substantially in the plane of the shelf 24 in an out of the way location in the compartment 18 throughout the vertical adjustment of the shelf 24 and thereby willnot detract from the appearance or capacity of the compartment 18.

In the illustrated embodiment the shelf 24 is releasably held in one of the plurality of vertical positions by means of an arcuate rack portion 86 fixedly secured on the underside of the surface 24 and having a plurality of forwardly facing teeth 83 thereon "adapted to be interlockingly engaged with a releasable pawl assembly 90 including a flattened handle portion 92 having one end thereof pivotally secured by a pin 94 and snap ring 96 to the actuator arm 62 adjacent the flattened handle 65 thereon and further including a tooth engaging element or pawl 98 on one side of the handle 92 directed outwardlythereof in proximity to the rack teeth 88. The pawl 94 and rack teeth 88 are biased into interlocking engagement by means of a spring 100 coiled around the pivot pin 94 having the ends thereof bearing" against the inside. surfaces of the first and second flattened vhandles 65, 92. Accordingly, the pawl or tooth engaging element 98 is normally held in engagement with'the rack teeth 88 and is released therefrom (see FIGURE 7) by manually moving the second handle 92 toward the first handle 65 to thereby move the pawl 98 out of engagement with'the rack teeth 88 when it is desired to adjust the vertical position of the surface 24 by rotating the actuator arm 62 as discussed above.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination a support, a shelf, friction reducing means for slidably supporting said shelf for fore and aft movement relative to said support, actuatable means operatively associated with said frictionreducing means'being movable to raise and lower said shelf relative to both said friction reducing means and said support, and actuator means on the bottom of said shelf including an elongated arm having a portionthereof pivotally secured to said shelf and further including means for translating the rotary movement of said arm to translatory movement including a first link having one end-thereof pivotally connected to said actuator arm, a crank arm having one end thereof pivotally connected to the opposite end of said first link and a second link disposed substantially transversely of said shelf being pivotally interconnected between the opposite end of said crank arm and said actuatable means for moving said actuatable means to adjust said shelf relative to said support. e

2. In combination, a support, a shelf, friction reducing means for slidably supporting said shelf for fore and aft movement relative to said support, actuatable means movable to raise and lower said shelf relative to said support including a bell crank element having a center pivot and end pivots on either side of said center pivot, said center pivot being pivotally connected to said shelf, one of said end pivots being pivotally connected to said support, actuator means on the bottom of said shelf including an elongated arm having a portion thereof pivotally secured to said shelf and further including means for translating the rotary movement of said arm to translatory movement including a first link having one end thereof pivotally con nected to said actuator arm, a crank arm having one end thereof pivotally connected to the opposite end of said first link and a second link disposed substantially transversely of said shelf pivotally interconnected between the opposite end of said crank arm and saidother of said bellcrank end pivots whereby said shelf is vertically adjustable upon movement of said elongated arm with respect to said shelf.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Sharpe 312 3o3 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. '0 

1. IN COMBINATION A SUPPORT, A SHELF, FRICTION REDUCING MEANS FOR SLIDABLY SUPPORTING SAID SHELF FOR FORE AND AFT MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT, ACTUATABLE MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FRICTION REDUCING MEANS BEING MOVABLE TO RAISE AND LOWER SAID SHELF RELATIVE TO BOTH SAID FRICTION REDUCING MEANS AND SAID SUPPORT, AND ACTUATOR MEANS ON THE BOTTOM OF SAID SHELF INCLUDING AN ELONGATED ARM HAVING A PORTION THEREOF PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID SHELF AND FURTHER INCLUDING MEANS FOR TRANSLATING THE ROTARY MOVEMENT OF SAID ARM TO TRANSLATORY MOVEMENT INCLUDING A FIRST LINK HAVING ONE END THEREOF PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID ACTUATOR ARM, A CRANK ARM HAVING ONE END THEREOF PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID FIRST LINK AND A SECOND LINK DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY TRANS- 